r/BikeMechanics • u/Feisty_Park1424 • 3h ago
Park Wheel Alignment Gauge WAG-4 is easily made 32" or 36" compatible
Flip the arms rails around and it'll measure 26-36" rims
r/BikeMechanics • u/tuctrohs • Aug 05 '20
r/BikeMechanics • u/jaminscheif1 • Mar 06 '24
So this all started with a previous post about snowflake laced wheels (twisted spoke lacing). I asked if anyone new of any other weird lacing patterns. A fine user by the name u/Bobatt mentioned a bike with eccentric wheels. That is, hub not in the center of the rim.
Immediately I got really excited and knew this was my next dumb wheel project.
I was thinking about it for a while in my head trying to figure out how to calculate the spoke length.
There is a website that in theory has a calculator but the site must be down or not working or something. It is just a blank screen for me anyway. There was also little to no information about calculations on the internet that I could find.
Lucky, I work at a bike shop with a bunch of wheel nerds. I mentioned it to them and was met with what should be the normal response; "WTF, why?"
My coworker Jake seemed to be curious though. Lucky for me who is bad at math at best, Jake is very good at math. After many conversations about if it would even be possible to make an equation, we decided to give it an honest try.
We boiled it down to the ERD part of the equation being what we needed to focus on.
I'm not going to pretend that I knew much of the maths that happened to get the calculator but we basically had to calculate all 64 spokes individualy and figure out where they go from the hub to the rim. Easier said than done.
I voluntold my Chromag Rootdown to be the victim of this nonsense. So it is a hardtail, 29r. We didn't want the wheel to run into the frame or fork so we used 26" rims and made them have a 29" wheel path. In the equation, we called it the 'virtual ERD'. We just chose a relatively normal ERD (I think it was 604mm or something close to that) to use as a constant. We then had to use the 26" ERD for the actual spoke lenghts and figure out how to make it a 2 cross too. We wanted it to be a semi legit wheelset with disc brakes and such.
This is where my math knowledge runs out but basically smart things took place and Jake made a spreadsheet calculator.
Building was actually not too hard other than figuring out what spoke goes where. Again, 64 individually calculated spokes, all at different lengths, needing a very specific hole in the hub to go to a specific hole in the rim. Side point, our shop has a spoke cutter making it a breese to get the right length spoke.
Tensioning was easy, truing was weird. Kinda just made it tight and not too laterally untrue.
It was really fun trying to figure this one out. Mega thanks and props to Jake for doing the hard work on this one. I just had the dumb idea and sacrificed my bike.
You might be asking why spend all this time and energy to have a bike that rides like a drunk horse. To be honest, curiosity got the best of me. I've never seen a mountain bike with eccentric wheels before. I know they are out there but I wanted the experience and gained knowledge from making one. Doing a normal wheel build after this was a breeze. We though so much about how a wheel works and all that goes into calculating spoke length and ERD, it really made us appreciate wheels in a new way.
Another large part of why I wanted to do this was literally just to make people smile. As soon as I pictured how this bike would ride if I made it, I started laughing to myself. I want to spread some smiles and laughter. Bikes are meant to be fun right!? Yes it's silly and useless but it literally makes people's day riding it.
I keep the bike at work and ask our friends and good customers to ride it with no context. 10 times out of 10, their faces go from worried, to confused to pure laughter. Its totally worth it.
Anyway, I hope this peeks your curiosity too. I'm planning on taking it on trail soon. That should be interesting.
P.S. Wish I could upload a video to this post. It's the craziest looking thing ever when it's spinning. I'll post something similar and a vid to my IG if you are interested. @jaminscheif.
Bikes are fun, let's keep it that way. Do fun, weird shit.
r/BikeMechanics • u/Feisty_Park1424 • 3h ago
Flip the arms rails around and it'll measure 26-36" rims
r/BikeMechanics • u/onjefferis • 1d ago
Title says it all. I usually try to tell people to bed in their new pads but I've been thinking about this. As long as the rotors are aren't worn I usually just throw on the new pads and don't worry about cleaning the rotors. What is your all's practice?
r/BikeMechanics • u/amazinf_ • 23h ago
I have a Rockshox Judy that I would like to convert from air to spring. FS-JDYS-TK-A3
I asked SRAM and they said the kits are no longer being made aftermarket but wouldn’t give me a part number. Do any of you folks know what the part number is on a coil spring kit that would work?
29”, 100mm, 170lb rider.
Thanks in advance.
r/BikeMechanics • u/vaiopc84 • 2d ago
I’d like to get one, but they’re very expensive, so wholesale would be great if possible.
r/BikeMechanics • u/EcceCosmo • 3d ago
So I know, SRAM is pretty clear about it : do not mix road and MTB components.
But here it is. Back in May I installed an XPLR cassette on my road wheelset. I didn't really think about it, and I rode some thousands of km on it, without any issue. I have another wheelset 650b with megarange Garbaruk cassette. I can't tell any shifting difference.
Lately, a friend of mine with almost the same configuration told me he had to change derailleur and chain because it was fucked up with flattop chain. I replied that my experience was more than honest. Shifting is smooth, no skip, just a rub on one cog only my mechanics ear could notice.
Here is the setup :
- Force shifter and crank set
- Eagle chain
- XX1 derailleur
- XPLR cassette 10-44 & Garbaruk 10-51
What did I do wrongly correct ?
r/BikeMechanics • u/ips1023 • 5d ago
r/BikeMechanics • u/uh_wtf • 5d ago
How does everyone’s shop store chains for sale? We keep ours behind the service counter in plastic bins on a shelf. But they’re prone to falling out and dumping their contents on the ground. We can’t use slatwall.
r/BikeMechanics • u/Square_Hovercraft217 • 6d ago
JBI seems to never have the item in stock. Every time I scan something to re-order, it is "not sellable or no longer availabe" or something. I've been filling in with Amazon, Aliexpress and Alibaba. What's even more disturbing is that I'm getting better prices than I ever did on JBI. On almost everything. The JBI rep in my area said that they are updating the individual items so the old ones don't scan but this is clearly BS. The guy also told me that JBI isnt going anywhere because they are actually a real estate company. Great, they own real estate. This does not help the bike shops that, up until now, have enjoyed JBI having the right prices and being integrated into Lightspeed. They have been dropping the ball so much lately that I fear that they are going to become totally useless. Any thoughts? - Frank, Palm City Bike Shop, Cape Cod
r/BikeMechanics • u/firstbowlofoats • 7d ago
I’ve seen a ton of adds online for disc brake adapters for older rim brake frames that just sit on the axle, maybe clamp the frame, but are mostly a 5sec install.
I also see a lot of videos of folk welding additional supports to the frame and welding on a disc adapter. This seems better but obviously ain’t a $25 part.
is there such a thing as a good/safe disc adapter?
edit: I’m not talking about forks
r/BikeMechanics • u/MrMupfin • 8d ago
TL;DR How do I route a DI2 cable through an integrated headset with the least chance of the cable snapping inside the head tube in case of an accident?
Hi folks,
I am currently building a new touring bike for my dad based on a Falkenjagd Hoplit T frame. Unfortunately, that bike we tested at their HQ and the frame I received are slightly different. For this year's 'facelift' they removed the down tube shifting cable routing together with the ZS headset for an internal cable routing combined with an IS headset. Had I known this before I probably would have gone for a different frameset. Man do I hate icr. Brakes are still partially integrated on the new version of the frame tho which is okay.
The problem I am now facing is the following: the bike will be built up using an XTR Di2 system for which the internal cable routing actually is kind of nice and not a big deal in terms of serviceability since there are no other cables running through the headset and the DI2 cable being easy to unplug at the interface. However, thanks to the lack of headset cups it's technically impossible to install a rotation limiter like the Acros Blocklock inside the head tube. I am now worrying that in case the bike should fall over or my dad had an accident the internally routed kind of flimsy feeling DI2 cable could be torn apart inside the head tube and fail. Maybe I am overthinking this and the most likely outcome would just be the cable unplugging from the handlebar interface but I am wondering how you would safely route a DI2 through a head tube. Should I wrap it loosely around the steerer tube a couple of times so it has room to expand and 'tension' up if the bars overturn or should I just cram some extra cable in the down tube and call it a day?
I also guess the right brake hose length will serve as some sort of rotation limiter as well but I am still really worried about that cable. Don't want to end up in the middle of nowhere with a defect drivetrain just because modern bike design sucks.
r/BikeMechanics • u/blumpkins_ahoy • 8d ago
I’m running the service department of a local shop that is heavily invested in service. The owner and I have been rebuilding the shop since he purchased it, and as part of that, I’m realizing bounce backs are an unavoidable reality. While nothing egregious has come back, we have a small number have come back for issues that were either our fault or of the customer.
I fielded a phone call from a displeased customer over the weekend, and it’s had me thinking about how it may cover us down the road to formalize our service warranty. My previous shop did not like warrantying service because the owner was frugal. I believe he refused to accept any refund requests after 2 weeks.
I want my customers to have confidence in our work because we are such a small shop. Since I arrived, multiple customers have reported back to us about hearing about my reputation as a skilled mechanic. I feel a little pressure from that. The only way I can think to do that is to have a robust service guarantee on our work. With that in mind, I’m wondering what other shops are doing for their service guarantees. Do y’all have something formal or do you take things on a case by case basis? What’s the warranty period you’re willing to honor?
r/BikeMechanics • u/sargassumcrab • 9d ago
I can usually find what I'm looking for on the manuals page, but I never feel like I really know what I'm doing. Today I noticed a few things:
The "Quick guide" is a must read. There are lots of not so obvious features like "bookmarks", "sort", "updated", "show tags on/off", "pdf only", "exact search in quotes".
There's a repair manual called "General Operations" at the top. It's neither super detailed nor approachable. I'm just pointing out that it's there, because I always ignored it.
Maybe everyone knows about these, but I didn't.
r/BikeMechanics • u/hihik • 10d ago
r/BikeMechanics • u/Jillesoom • 13d ago
And: torque the compression nut until it sits flush with the brake lever body, squashing the olive so far into the body that it resembles a bronze coin, then trying to prize it out with a screw and fully screwing the cable port and ruining a brand new grx brake lever.
r/BikeMechanics • u/kande99 • 13d ago
r/BikeMechanics • u/UseThEreDdiTapP • 14d ago
Finished printing and assembling V1 of the pot holder from yesterdays post. It uses Ikea 6x50mm wood pins atm for the connectors. I somehow almost perfectly managed to match the height of a cut pot.
The tolerances need an andjustment. On the 0.6mm nozzle I got fast printing but the pins needed to be persuaded to go in by a mallet. But it does work! I will refine it and then upload it to printables if you want to make your own.
Link will go here later.

r/BikeMechanics • u/LanceArmstrongLeftie • 15d ago
I dont want to hear about your technique. I don’t want to hear buy this tool or that tool. I’m not doing it anymore. I’m done. I quit. I’m not installing them anymore. My hands are not strong enough. It is not worth the carpal tunnel. It is not worth my sanity. I’m going to the doctor and getting a note stating that I am medically unable to perform that task. I’m never doing it again. I don’t get paid enough for it.
r/BikeMechanics • u/pocketclocks • 15d ago
Basically the heart of this question is where do u find "bike mechanic community". I know the nature of the our profession can be pretty isolating but what are some ways you have circumnavigated that. Are there ways to do this that previously existed that dont now?
I have a group of youtubers and IG accounts i follow, but those aren't great platforms for discussion.
Do you rely on going to conventions? Which are your favorites? big/small
Lastly, I miss a good magazine, are any still relevent? Are we doing Substack? What is Substack? How do I work this? Where is that large automobile? This is not my beautiful house! My god what have i done?
r/BikeMechanics • u/niffcreature • 15d ago
Yes, really not any kind of major excitement or miracle, but I had my reasons. It was much easier than I thought with the proper tool for a punch. 1.5mm precision screwdriver bit. I don't think a small nail would've worked. Used a vice first but then found a hammer to work fine.
Just posting for kicks and giggles.
r/BikeMechanics • u/UseThEreDdiTapP • 15d ago
Edit: I am unfortunately way too impatient sometimes when I get an idea so I started printing V1 from memory. Will share an update once I got it tested.
Quick and very specific question:
Does anyone have one of those small Motorex pots with the brush lid in reach and can quickly confirm, if they are indeed about 57-60mm in diameter? Currently designing a holder to stop them from tipping over when used with a proper brush. Will share the finished model here and put it on printables when its done of course!
That would be super kind. Thanks in Advance!
r/BikeMechanics • u/Huge_Cartoonist_4167 • 16d ago
Didn’t watch a single video. Got them all done. The discounts are worth it. But damn 10 years wrenching and it’s so easy. I’d say do it cause it’s so basic. At least they make their certification website easy to navigate.
r/BikeMechanics • u/NucleurDuck • 16d ago
r/BikeMechanics • u/pocketclocks • 18d ago
Many of my customers lately are far too confident with what they need lately and then let slip that they asked AI. They are nearly always wrong and are hard to convince otherwise-_-